Office of the Historian

156. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassies in Romania and Hungary1

185293.
Washington, June 17, 1987, 0027Z

SUBJECT

  • Solomonescu Visit: Hungarian Minority Issue.
1.
Confidential—Entire text.
2.
Following meetings with the Acting Secretary2 and Assistant Secretary Ridgway (septels),3 a lunch for Romanian Deputy Foreign Minister Solomonescu hosted by DAS Thomas Simons on June 15 provided an opportunity for further discussion of the Hungarian minority issue.
3.
Ambassador Besteliu took the lead for the Romanian side. He stressed the sensitivity for the GOR of the minority issue and complained that some U.S. officials appeared to be “taking sides” against Romania. Simons, along with National Security Council Staff Member Nelson Ledsky, took issue with Besteliu’s comments and explained the various pressures being brought to bear on the administration on this issue by well-organized ethnic Hungarian groups in this country, as well as by more broadly based human rights organizations.
4.
Simons said that we have been making the same points with both the Romanian and Hungarian Governments and in public testimony that:
—
The U.S. does not regard the Hungarian minority issue as a territorial question.
—
We will not get involved in debates over which side has the best historical claim to Transylvania.
—
But that aside from this, there are questions of basic human rights involved in the minority issue that are the legitimate concern of the U.S.

Simons said that various parties may not be happy with this formulation, but that it is the position which best serves U.S. interests. Besteliu responded that the GOR had no problem with this position, but he urged that it be made the basis of a public declaration by the Department of State. Simons demurred, noting that he had made these points in open testimony before the CSCE Commission on May 5,4 and that there would be other opportunities to do so again in upcoming MFN hearings this summer.

5.
Simons said the Hungarian minority issue would not go away, and that the GOR needed to work with us in dealing with it. The U.S., he said, wanted to be constructive. Acknowledging that it would be difficult, he said that at this time there was nothing more useful the GOR could do than to ease the pressures on the Hungarian minority. He cited the cases of Borbely, Buzas and Pal as instances where the GOR could take action.
Armacost
  1. Source: Reagan Library, Rudolf Perina Files, Subject File, Romania—Bilateral 1987 (1). Confidential; Immediate. Sent Priority for information to Vienna for the delegation to the CSCE.↩
  2. Telegram 186656 to Bucharest and Budapest, June 18, provided an overview of Solomonescu’s meeting with Whitehead concerning bilateral relations. (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, D870480–0199)↩
  3. Telegram 186261 to Bucharest and Budapest, June 17, described the in-depth discussion of bilateral relations between Ridgway and Solomenescu. (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, D870479–0459)↩
  4. See Document 151.↩